Palumbo (elbow) was able to throw from 120 feet this week and is on the verge of tossing his first mound session since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

A run of seven starts to close out the season morphed Palumbo from fringe prospect to stealth high-upside arm in the lower levels of the Rangers' system. He went five-plus innings in all seven starts and posted a 2.37 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 39:10 K:BB in 38 innings after switching roles from closer to ace at Low-A. A slender 6-foot-1, Palumbo does not cut the figure of a traditional starter, which is perhaps why he began his professional career as a reliever and continued in that role for his first 26 appearances in 2016. However, he has a mid-90s fastball, a plus curveball and developing changeup, so his repertoire may be able to consistently turn over a lineup. Palumbo, a 30th-round selection in 2013, cut his walk rate from 14.3 percent in 2015 to 9.1 percent last year, which strengthens the notion that he could make it as a starter with continued refinement. He won't be under the radar much longer if his success as a starter continues at High-A High Desert.